Black Sabbath to Reunite for Final Performance with Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira and More
This summer, Black Sabbath will reunite for one last show. On July 5, the metal masterminds Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward will headline an all-star, festival-size farewell performance at Villa Park in their hometown of Birmingham, England. This long-rumored final staging will celebrate the band’s towering legacy and arrive as the original lineup’s first performance since Ozzfest 2005.
“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning….time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Ozzy stated in a release. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”
Back to the Beginning will also feature a solo set from Osbourne, who performed his last show in 2018, and has since deferred several planned farewell outings due to health issues and the pandemic. The iconic frontman is joined on the bill by some of the metal’s most important acts, including genre-defining bands like Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.
The bill is rounded out by a supergroup comprised of ambassadors from even more legendary bands, including Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan and Slash, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, who will also serve as musical director for the massive event. Keen-eyed fans have noted the presence of “Papa V Perpetua” on the bill, spurring speculation about the next frontman/high priest to be embodied by Ghost’s Tobias Forge. Even more artists will be unveiled as the show approaches.
Morello’s reflections of the event are as pithy as they are promising: “This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever.”
Proceeds from Back to the Beginning will be split evenly between CureParkinson’s, Birmingham Childrens Hospital, and Acorn Childrens Hospice. Tickets for the unmissable metal summit will go on sale next Friday, Feb. 14, at 10 a.m. local time via LiveNation.co.uk. For more information on Black Sabbath, visit blacksabbath.com.
